LACO-Wiki: A land cover validation tool and a new, innovative teaching resource for remote sensing and the geosciences

The validation of land cover products is an important step in the workflow of generating a land cover map from remotely-sensed imagery. Many students of remote sensing will be given exercises on classifying a land cover map followed by the validation process. Many algorithms exist for classification, embedded within proprietary image processing software or increasingly as open source tools. However, there is little standardization for land cover validation, nor a set of open tools available for implementing this process. The LACO-Wiki tool was developed as a way of filling this gap, bringing together standardized land cover validation methods and workflows into a single portal. This includes the storage and management of land cover maps and validation data; step-by-step instructions to guide users through the validation process; sound sampling designs; an easy-to-use environment for validation sample interpretation; and the generation of accuracy reports based on the validation process. The tool was developed for a range of users including producers of land cover maps, researchers, teachers and students. The use of such a tool could be embedded within the curriculum of remote sensing courses at a university level but is simple enough for use by students aged 13-18. A beta version of the tool is available for testing at: http://www.lacowiki.net

Assessing the quality of crowdsourced in-situ land-use and land cover data from FotoQuest Austria application

With the proliferation of mobile phones and the rise of citizen science, the question of whether citizens can be used to complement traditional land surveys, e.g. the Land Use / Cover Area frame statistical Survey (LUCAS), needs further consideration. LUCAS is the European reference dataset for land use and land cover statistics. It is produced every three years using paid surveyors to collect information on land cover and land use at more than 270,000 point locations across all EU states. LUCAS has very strict protocols on data collection and a two-step system to ensure the quality of the data collected. To complement LUCAS, IIASA has developed the FotoQuest Austria (http://fotoquest.at/) app, which aims to engage citizens in exploring Austrian landscapes, geo-tagging land use and land cover across the country using a simplified version of the LUCAS protocol. The app shows the location of nearby points, and once at the location, volunteers take pictures in four cardinal directions and at the point location, recording the type of land use and land cover from a list of options in the app. Implementation of the simplified protocol uses the mobile technology to record the location, the angles of inclination of the phone when taking the pictures, the compass directions and the precision of the GPS to restrict when users can take photographs. These measures were employed to ensure high quality data collection. FotoQuest Austria has been running since the summer of 2015 with more than 2500 points on the ground and more than 12500 pictures collected by volunteers. Advantages of such an approach include the collection of a denser sample and a more frequent revisit time than the 3 year update cycle of LUCAS, which may then be used to detect ongoing change. Additionally, the involvement of citizens in getting to know their surrounding landscapes is a very valuable process and can be a positive vehicle for raising awareness of possible environmental conflicts and issues. This paper compares the results from this ongoing campaign with data from LUCAS. The presentation also outlines the lessons learned and highlights the minimum requirements needed to collect high quality data from volunteers. Recommendations for use of the app to complement LUCAS surveying and its application to other domains will also be discussed

Communication Research

Contains reports on nine research projects.Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporate

Pokonywanie przeszkód wodnych w działaniach taktycznych

Autorzy artykułu przedstawili obowiązujące procedury pokonywania przeszkód wodnych w działaniach taktycznych. Główną uwagę skupili na omówieniu przygotowania, organizacji i dowodzenia przeprawami w rejonie forsowania (przeprawy) oraz przybliżyli sposoby pokonywania przeszkód wodnych przez pododdziały na współczesnym polu walki. Ponieważ pokonywanie przeszkód wodnych jest zadaniem szczególnie skomplikowanym, które wymaga zaangażowania i ścisłego współdziałania wielu rodzajów wojsk, zawarte w artykule informacje muszą być wszystkim znane i ściśle przestrzegane

Selected constructions of military bridging systems

W artykule przedstawiono charakterystykę wybranych drogowych mostów składanych tj. mostu Baileya, MS 22-80, MS-54 i DMS-65. Wymienione konstrukcje były, w okresie po II wojnie światowej, modernizowane i kolejno używane przez ówczesne Wojsko Polskie. Obecnie pododdziały inżynieryjne Sił Zbrojnych RP posiadają na wyposażeniu konstrukcje DMS-65, która służy do szkolenia wojsk oraz do budowy i odbudowy (zniszczonych przez klęski żywiołowe) cywilnych mostów stałych.The paper presents the specifications of selected military road bridging systems (e.g. Bailey bridge, MS 22-80, MS-54 and DMS-65). These bridge constructions were in use by and under went modernization in the Polish Armed Forces after the end of World War II. Currently Polish engineer units are equipped with DMS-65 constructions, which are used for forces training as well as for laying and rebuilding (destroyed during natural disasters) civilian permanent bridges

Geopolitical analysis of Poland's transport system

Autorzy artykułu przedstawili aktualny stan układu komunikacyjnego oraz dokonali jego charakterystyki pod względem analizy geopolitycznej. Tekst zawiera charakterystykę układu komunikacyjnego, jego analizę pod względem znaczenia oraz wpływu, jaki wywiera na rozwój gospodarczy, ekonomiczny i polityczny kraju. Omówiono potrzebę zmiany jego aktualnego układu ze względu na nie dostosowanie do nowych uwarunkowań społeczno – gospodarczych i politycznych.The authors of the article present the current state of the transport system and describe its characteristics in terms of a geopolitical analysis. The article describes the transport system and provides its analysis with respect to its significance and influence on the economic and political development of the country. It discusses the need for changing its current state on the grounds of the inability to adjust to new social and economic as well as social and political factors

Review of military gap-crossing bridges in US Army

Autorzy artykułu przedstawili przegląd aktualnych środków przeprawowych i mostowych, będących na wyposażeniu armii USA. Tekst zawiera klasyfikację mostów wojskowych ze względu na przeznaczenie i ich usytuowanie w ugrupowaniu bojowym oraz wykorzystanie na współczesnym polu walki. Podano charakterystykę mostów taktycznych, wsparcia i komunikacyjnych oraz podstawowe dane taktyczno-techniczne. Dodatkowo tekst wzbogacono zdjęciami poszczególnych rodzajów mostów.The authors of this article present a review of military gap-crossing bridges in the US Army. The article contains a classification of military bridges according to their purpose, place in a combat formation and employment on a contemporary battlefield. The authors provide a description of tactical, support and line of communications bridges along with their basic tactical and technical specifications. Additionally, the article features pictures of all the bridges